San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
“Damned”
April 27, 2002

Just a few more thoughts on Possokhov’s “Damned”: I slipped into standing room on Saturday afternoon because I couldn’t miss Muriel Maffre as Medea, and, as expected, she just blew me away. Watching her interpretation was chilling and touching at the same time: clearly she was a woman stricken with grief and loss, but Maffre was also dignified enough to remember that she, too, was a princess in her own right. Her every step held both technical strength and meaning. The controlled and yet anguished throw of her leg to the side in a high développé écarté spoke volumes, and when she bent into a contraction against Jason to rest her head against his shoulder, it was heartrending. Then in a moment, her expression shifted and she sat with her back stiffly upright, becoming instantly so cold that I wondered that Jason had the nerve to even come near her.

As Jason, Cyril Pierre was better in "Damned" than anything he’s been in all season. His opening pas de deux with Julie Diana to the Ravel “Pavane for a Dead Princess” took on a kind of glow. It was not just his characteristic attentive partnering, but also a gentle romanticism between the two of them that created an impression that he had been completely swept away by her. Diana’s attack in the pas de deux had less of a swoop to it than, say, Nicole Starbuck’s (who danced the same role of the princess in Feijoo’s cast), but her innate loveliness and complete trust in Pierre elicited gasps from the audience at some of the more dazzling tosses and lifts.

At this performance the story made better sense as a standalone, although I agree, it can seem a little confusing and perhaps abortively told without the benefit of program notes. Still, the romanticism of the Pavane pas de deux in this case contrasted well with the chill of the remainder of the ballet giving one a clearer sense that Jason had abandoned Medea for the princess. Then too, as the ballet progressed, Maffre allowed more details to slip in, which added depth to the telling. For instance, as she laid her sons to rest the second time, she cast a furtive glance heavenward as if to see if the gods were watching her, if they knew what she intended, with both fear and resolve in her expression.

As I watched “Damned” one more time, I couldn’t help thinking that to have been given such a role as Medea is a an enormous gift. The choreography is satisfying and complex, but cleverly doesn't leave much room for scenery-chewing. And yet, it still offers the opportunity to give as subtle and as complex a performance as the dancer is capable of. In my opinion, with Joanna Berman retiring and with all due respect to Lorena Feijoo, who is a wonderful dancer, it is Maffre who will own this role next year.

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This review initially appeared on Criticaldance.com on April 27, 2002.

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